Fitness Journey

In the beginning I was a 206lb "flabalicious" fat guy rapidly approaching the big 3-0. So, how am I doing? Today, about seven months in, I weighed 166.6lbs. Over the holidays I went back up to 178 lbs, but now I am working on reaching my goal of 159 lbs, 7% body fat, and a Ninja Warrior ready body.

I am presenting for your enjoyment a PowerPoint presentation on slavery I created last year for a course on teaching at the college level. Some of its contents might surprise you. Let me know what you think.

Most of all I want to know if you learned anything knew? Did it challenge anything you thought you knew? What do you think it was missing? Or anything else that might be on your mind.

Thanks so much for sharing that powerpoint. I have felt for years that slavery doesn’t just happen in the South, and didn’t end with the Civil War.

I live in Michigan, and the first time I heard about slavery as a kid, I was nauseated. I live in a farily “racist” area, where 95% of the population in my county is caucasian. And still I see slavery all around. A friend in a horrid marriage, hubby’s brother living hand-to-mouth, etc.

My maternal grandfather was from SC and lived most of his life there. His father had 18 brothers and sisters (by 2 or 3 different moms- having passed away in childbirth) and they were the workers on the family’s cotton farm. Even my grandfather spent many hot days in the fields when he was a child. That is where he got the many sunburns wich would turn into melanoma and eventually kill him.

So not just a slave to his Grandfather, but eventually to disease.

I hate slavery, in any form. To kow that my ancestors probably had slaves makes me ill. I am not a person who teaches “tolerance” about things that don’t fit with my morals and such. But there shouldn’t be simply “tolerance” between races, social groups, etc.

They are PEOPLE. Living breathing people who deserve at least basic rights. There should be understanding that goes both ways. There should be, but there isn’t and that is why I make sure to educate my nieces and nephews, and all kids in my sphere of influence about slavery in all of it’s conditions.

The ‘Slaves for Sale’ really drove home the point and it was impressive (as in left an impression). That was a great find.
Seems to me that this all falls under the loss of personal freedom – not being able to change one’s position.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”